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Wyoming’s Data Center Growth Test
Coverage from Cowboy State Daily, Cap City News, and others
Wyoming is weighing rapid data center development against limits on water, electricity, local services, tax revenue, and public oversight.
Cheyenne has 10 operating facilities, five under construction, and nine announced or planned, while projects linked to Prometheus Hyperscale, Microsoft, and other developers are prompting new reviews of zoning, power supply, cooling systems, and community obligations. Governor Mark Gordon’s statewide framework seeks to coordinate growth and protect ratepayers and natural resources, but lawmakers and local officials have not settled tax treatment, dedicated-generation rules, or the extent of public review.
The story now includes a quantified tax-revenue shortfall and more concrete local disputes over moratoriums, fast-track approvals, and community oversight. Cheyenne’s project inventory is also presented differently, revising the reported operating-facility count while separating construction and planned projects.
The story now has clearer implementation and baseline data: Wyoming is moving toward making large-load developers pay incremental power costs while confronting quantified water growth and possible tax increases.
The story has shifted from general planning for data-center growth to an active regulatory dispute over privately supplied power. The Public Service Commission rejected Anschutz’s attempt to avoid utility oversight, while the governor initiated a statewide framework that could determine future direct-generation and cost-allocation rules.
- The Public Service Commission rejected Anschutz’s request to avoid utility oversight.
- Anschutz proposed 3,200 MW of gas and 1,000 MW of solar generation.
- Gov. Gordon ordered agencies to create a statewide data-center framework.
- Project Jade could require 2.7 GW initially and up to 10 GW.
- Cheyenne rejected a proposed development moratorium.
Wyoming is weighing a growing pipeline of data center projects, particularly around Cheyenne, against constraints on water, electricity supply, permitting capacity, and local oversight. Officials and utilities are developing tariffs, approval processes, and cooling expectations intended to make large projects pay for required infrastructure and limit impacts on other customers, while regulators consider rules for dedicated power plants and high-demand grid connections. The scale and timing of several proposed projects remain uncertain, with Project Jade and other large loads potentially requiring major new generation and transmission.